Rep. Thomas Massie brings back a 2017 proposal to do away with the Department of Education
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 12: U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) spoke during a press conference in the Cannon House Office Building on March 12, 2014 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by T.J. Kirkpatrick/Getty Images)
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UPDATED 12:20 PM PT – Friday, March 19, 2021
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) once proposed a bill to eliminate the Department of Education as a way to improve the quality of education for American students. Now he’s bringing that proposal back, and big name Republican lawmakers are backing the effort.
The proposal is also gaining attention from libertarian conservatives who want to see big government agencies dismantled. However, Massie believes the federal government has become so political that an objective education system for America’s youth cannot come from Washington D.C.
Back when the proposal was first introduced, one of the cosponsors was former Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who argued that his state should be in charge of its own education system.
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 29: Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) on Capitol Hill, September 29, 2015 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
“They are not improving the education quality here in Utah,” Chaffetz stated. “They’re using a lot of resources that I would much rather come straight to the state of Utah.”
The Department of Education staff is appointed by whichever political party is in power. They could develop a curriculum that may be okay for a state like California, but bad for a state like Florida.
Ultimately, Massie argued state governments, local governments and parents should be in charge of choosing what education their children receive. He emphasized eliminating the Department of Education would save taxpayers an estimated $50 billion per year.
12 Cosponsors: pic.twitter.com/ALul0PM9C4
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) March 18, 2021
Critics of the proposal argued the high cost of America’s education system is due to extra spending on “non-essential” services, such as armed guards at schools. They also said the dipping quality of teachers is because American teachers don’t feel valued by their students or parents.
Massie argued Democrats support the Department of Education because they can control the information children receive when they are in power, even if bureaucratic obstacles make getting resources to students more difficult.
“Cause the left understands this is where you win or lose, is in the schools and in the teaching of the children,” Massie said.
Massie and his Republican cosponsors consider the Department of Education to be a needless government agency, which has resulted in U.S. students performing far worse than other students in the industrialized world.
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